1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an interactive device, and more specifically, to an interactive device capable of improving image processing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the popularization of multimedia applications, conventional image sensors installed within digital devices, such as digital video camcorders and digital still cameras (DSC), are used for taking moving images. Generally speaking, image sensors with higher resolutions are able to produce high quality digital images, and thus can be used for image distinguishing and fingerprint identification purposes. Image sensors with lower resolution, however, are used in interactive toys for simple motion distinguishing purposes. Take mechanical pets for example; the built-in camera installed inside the mechanical pets functions as an “eye” of the interactive toy to sense users' motion and then indicate different instructions through a control circuit.
Please refer to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an interactive device 10 according to the prior art. The interactive device 10 includes an image sensor 12, a micro-controller 14, and a parallel transmission bus 16. The image sensor 12 contains a CMOS sensing array 22 and an analog to digital converter (ADC) 24. Data sensed by the CMOS sensing array 22 is transmitted to the analog to digital converter 24. Because the CMOS sensing array 22 is capable of sensing a plurality of pixel data for forming images, the CMOS sensing array 22 of the image sensor 12 will generate various pixel data continuously while taking continuously moving images. In order to transmit a considerable amount of pixel data, the sensed pixel data between the image sensor 12 and the controller 14 are transmitted through a parallel transmission bus 16, and then the micro-controller 14 recomposes the object images or determines the condition of the object based on the above pixel data to control the operation of the interactive device 10.
The huge amount of the sensed data is considerable, however, and the velocity of parallel transmission with complex hardware structures is slower than that of serial transmission with the high development of serial transmission. Furthermore, the micro-controller 14 still has to determine and analyze the necessary data after receiving the sensed data transmitted through the parallel transmission interface. Because the applied sphere of each micro-controller 14 is not consistent, taking the micro-controller installed within an optical mouse as an example, the micro-controller 14 does not need to obtain entire and detailed image data, but can instead obtain just the trail of relatively moving positions of image objects. As a result, if users utilize the conventional image sensor 12 for generating pixel data, the micro-controller 14 has to receive and process all pixel data, resulting in a major burden while processing the image data.
Moreover, the traditional image sensor 12 for transforming received light into electrical signals is implemented as a single chip. Therefore, it is necessary to improve such image sensor 12 made as a single chip using the trend of system-on-chip circuit design.